


Stay alive

by AmeliaAndreas3



Series: No rest for the victors [6]
Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: 5+1 Things, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 15:50:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20312062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmeliaAndreas3/pseuds/AmeliaAndreas3
Summary: 5 times Haymitch thought he'll get a victor and the one time he got two.





	Stay alive

**Author's Note:**

> Does this fit the new canon of The Ballad of songbirds and snakes? No
> 
> Am I too lazy to change it? Absolutely yes

**1- 51st games**

Roxie tells him to get his shit together and help her. 

So he sat on the stage with Roxie, the first time seeing the boys and girls from up high.

_The boys and girls up for slaughter for entertainment _

Callisa the district's escort picks two names, Jenny is 15 and from the seam, but Haymitch remembered her because she was Tanya's older sister, the girl was 12, and both him and Maysliee had to watch her in the bloodbath getting stabbed right through the heart, and Greg is 17, he's a merchant's son. He is tall and strongly built, his parents own the bakery. 

They are just as overwhelmed with the capitol's riches as he, Maysilee, Tanya and Charlie were.

The parade goes as he expected, no one pays attention to the outliers other then 10. Their female tribute wears the most revealing outfit they could put her in without calling it naked. And a cowboy hat. 

She doesn't seem to mind, she waves the hat around and reveals her flaming red hair. 

She's gonna be a problem. 

Jenny dies in the bloodbath, Haymitch sits with Chaff, last year, Chaff helped him during the victory party, and being from Eleven he knew what its like to be an outlier. 

Chaff introduces him to two women Haymitch saw on TV from time to time. Marianne Rubson from 9 and Octavia from 7. Marianne and Chaff are blackout drunk, 9 and 11 are out in the bloodbath so they dont have anything else to do. Octavia drinks too, but Haymitch can't see any indication that she's drunk. 

Haymitch watches the main screen, the girl from Ten takes out the boy from two and the boy from eight. She lured them with a promise to have sex and then killed them. Haymitch saluted her original ways, and the capitol went wild. 

Greg however, was still hiding, alone, listening to the canons go off. He is smart.

He's in the final eight. The girl- Rowan- is still alive and her partner is as well. They are in love, the Capitol eats it up. 

There are two Careers left, One boy and Two girl. The other three are two girls and a boy from district 6, 8 and 5. In that order. 

The career girl kills the middle district girls, And dies by Rowan and her partner. 

Now its Rowan and three boys. One of them is Greg (while the killing happened, Haymitch noticed the Ten escort- district 10 had one very old mentor- watching their tributes having actual sex through the mentor screen)

Greg sees Rowan, she introduces herself neatly. She twirls her hair and asks him if he can pleasure her "since she can't survive this long, and she wants to experience" 

Greg foolishly agrees. And Haymitch sighs and excepts the fourth place in quiet. 

**2- 53rd games**

Roxie was dead. 

Haymitch knew it was Snow, yet another punishment. He knew Snow was trying to get rid of her and he finally acted on his threats.

But he can't fail her.

The two are named Sasha and Tim. Sasha was a year younger than him, now 18. 

On the train, he downs a bottle. "You really shouldn't down a bottle like that." says Sasha. "What do you know about drinking, _sweetheart_?" 

"Huh, I like the nickname" 

"Sorry you two got stuck with me and not Roxanne, she handles it better. I mean, she did that for over twenty five years." 

Sasha rolls her eyes. "Okay. Maybe you should put the bottle down and actually help us?" 

"Sorry, don't think I can help the kid" he said bitterly. "Then don't, I talked with Tim and he's sure of his death. But not me. I- I want to win, I want to go back to my dad" 

"You have the skills?" 

"I can learn. I'll kill whoever I need to get back. I can be sneaky"

"I'll make you a deal, I'm gonna stay sober untill you die. If you win, I'll pay you whatever you want at victors village" 

"Deal"

Haymitch was stupid enough to get attached to her. Chaff kept a stool for him untill day four when the boy (later victor) from district 2 killed her. 

**3- 58th games-**

Angie was a fighter. Period.

And he liked it. This is who he'll choose for this year. 

Haymitch tried to remember her from his childhood, she was eight when he was victor, but he thinks he saw the seam girl with Cole and Petunia- she married him last year and he's pretty sure they just had a kid. Haymitch brought them extra money and they gladly took it. 

"I saw the knife you carry around, hiding it below your pillow is not good. You know" 

"Then what am I supposed to do?" he asked, half drunk as usual, he told himself to stop caring, just drink yourself into oblivion like Octavia said.

But he just couldn't. 

Angie survives the bloodbath- unlike the boy- she heads his advice and stays away from the cornucopia, she stole a knife from the careers istead. 

_Nice one, kid. _He takes another swing. 

On the main screen Haymitch sees the girl from 8, she has a blowdart and she dips the arrows in poison. She has dark hair and darker skin, but Haymitch can't unsee Maysilee, genius Maysilee. Haymitch drinks some more.

The 8 girl kills two boys. 

When the feast is announced, Haymitch sees the 8 girl sneaking around, she fills the career food with poison and the outliar drinks. Before she gets to Angie's bag, (which contained a machete and biscuits Callisa got) the careers show up and the girl leaves. 

The careers die within seconds, the outliars die a few minutes later. He counted the canons- five.

Angie is in the final two. 

Haymitch put down the bottle and watched in interest from the mentors seat. The rest of the mentors stayed to watch the finale like they always do. 

On the main screen, a blowdart came, but Angie cut through the arrow. Everyone in the room let out a gasp of suprise. 

The 8 girl came out with her fists in the air. 

She's hiding something.

Haymitch wished he could sent her a note, but she couldn't hear him, not when 8 girl blinded her with poison, not when Angie pleaded for mercy...

Not when 8 girl stabbed her. 

On 8 girl's -Cecelia's- victory tour, she was extremely guilty. District 8 didn't have many victors, but at least they had them. 

Cecelia comes to mentor the next year- his blackout drunk self can see her next to Alec Hove.

she can't bring herself to look at him

**4- 63rd games-**

he doesn't bother, and yet the boy is pretty good on his own.

Everyone seemed to make a big deal out of these games for some reason. From what he heard (not much) it's because some tribute is a legacy one. 

He did remember the seam boy's name- Avery- his conscious remembered it in his drunken state. 

Avery was good with a bow. probably one of the ilegal hunters. Haymitch remembers the score of 9, pretty good. 

The girl is a lost cause: 14 and a merchant girl, dies quickly by the One boy- the legacy tribute apparently. 

Avery runs to the mountains, and from a wide ledge, he shoots down, like a sniper, he kills three kids, one of them a career. 

Days pass, Haymitch still drinks, but he keeps his eyes on the screen. 

The final six arrive, four outliars, One boy on his own and Two girl on her own as well. The gamemakers call on a feast. However, Avery doesn't seem to mind, he hunts down birds and uses the melting snow as water. And Callisa and the sponsers are enough to send him another quiver full of arrows. 

The gamemakers had another plan in mind. And while everyone were on the feast, an avalanche dropped down becuase Avery refused to move, and a sniper is lame in the capitols eyes, they want blood. 

So Haymitch drinks again and the legacy tribute wins. 

**5- 68th games**

the fact both tributes- aged 16 and 18, both seam- survived the bloodbath is a miracle, the 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12 kids usually die both on day one. 

He was wasted throughout the entire train ride and didn't bother to learn their names.

Well. The stupid hope in him caused him to turn to the new escort and ask: "what are their names again?" 

The escort answers with her everlasting smile: "Mona is the girl, Thomas is the boy" 

Surprisingly, they also survived day two and three. Mona stalks the career camp. 

_that's a stupid move, sweetheart. You're gonna get yourself killed. _

it got Thomas killed. 

The careers are on him and he's a goner, Mona uses the careers absence to steal a bow and arrows from the cornucopia. 

A knife comes. "Hey what are you doing!" Mona quickly puts an arrow and releases it. It hits the two girl in the palm of her hand. 

Funny, Mona convinced the two girl into an alliance. 

They survive together and before Haymitch can realize- Mona is in the final five. Only the careers (including her ally) standing between her and victory. 

Two boy dies because of One girl, One girl dies because of Mona and her Ally Kara. 

Mona is final three, 

"We need to take eachother out now, and the one that survives takes out Neville" says Kara. "Then stab me" Says Mona and Haymitch sighs. This is the problem with alliances. And Mona is not even trying. 

They argue more, Mona wants Kara to win because "she can't bring herself to kill Neville knowing she's dead". Kara wants Mona to win so twelve can have another victor.

_well That's nice of you, sweetheart._

and then Mona slits her own throat. 

Haymitch sighs again. He doesn't stay for the finale and drinks himself to blissful unconsciousness. 

There goes another one. 

**\-------74th games. Victory--------**

He always knew the rule change was bullshit. But whoever it is, twelve will have a victor. 

Katniss takes out her bow instinctively. He doesn't blame her. She argues with peeta, and then he opens his wound again. Insuring that he won't be the victor.

But then she pulls out the nightlock. 

"They have to have a victor" says Peeta.

"No they don't"

This, this was a line that showed him the actual fire inside her, not the burning outfits Cinna put her in, no. The girl had nerve, and that nerve will be the death of her. 

Flickerman and Templesmith quickly announce the two victors. All of the mentors who gathered stayed put. Cecelia flashed him a smile, Chaff patted his back. 

"Can one of you direct me into where the hovercraft landing area is supposed to be?" he tried to be stoic and bitter as he usually is. But couldn't contain his happiness. 

Kara offered to walk him there, they walked silently. 

"Uh.. There it is- congratulations, Mr Abernathy" she smiled nervously. "You can cut it, sweetheart, I know you can't seem to look at me because of those games six years ago. But you can try, I moved on and look, I got two in one game. It's Haymitch from now on, okay?" 

She finally gave him an actual look. 

"I'll remember that, I think you should take care of them now" she pointed to the four medics that rolled an unconscious Peeta and delusional Katniss into the building. 

He went to confront he medics. Effie came quickly and translated his harsh, cynical demends into a more capitol-like answers. 

After all these years of hoping and disappointment. He got not one. But two. 

Two who will cause him and themselves more trouble then good. 

**Author's Note:**

> I edited that 4th games to fit my canon (I forgot about Endless chain lol)


End file.
